Woke up after a good sleep in the gymnasium of Thompson Falls middle school. Leg was feeling a bit better. Still getting a bit of creakiness in the knees as well but it goes away as I start to walk. Loaded up, geared up in civilian clothes ;), then headed down to a wonderful breakfast at Minnies Café. If you don’t know my eating patterns, I tend to take leftovers home. Reason being, I find myself incapable of binging on food. And Minnie’s made humongous portions for breakfast. It was two breakfasts at once! Some of the riders are getting the idea that they can save money for the ride and themselves if they perch near me and don’t order anything. Silly vultures.

Breakfast announcements

Sam is sunblocked up and wide awake 😉

Eat up! I swear it looked more appetizing in person

"Izzy...no no" - The necessary words from Timmy. What a dedicated guardian 😉

The day was predicted to be at 90 + degrees. Frank and I drove together for the first part of the ride. If you don’t know Frank yet, he’s this awesome Canadian crew member with the wittiest lines and a hankering for espresso. Stick with him and he’ll tell you all about Susan’s cat. They are riding buddies in the crew car.

As time goes on the cat seems to slowly disappear under odd apparel and quieten.

The first portion of the ride for everyone was quite pleasant. They were coasting and reaching speeds around 15 (so I was told). I took advantage again of videotaping and taking pictures of them. The view was remarkable. Rolling hills combined with blue rivers flowing under morning light. God what a place to be. The riders were looking great at the checkpoints, and the crew is always remarking how this year everyone seems to stick together in a similar time frame. Makes things run smoother for going out and getting the resources to everyone.

Yeah Big Riders!

Sam and Tim flying by

Rest stop! We're fixing lunch now on the road.

Bridgett handling Big Ride details

Muk Muk Day 2 on the truck

We all get some Love!

Adopted Father and Son 🙂

The day drew on, and as the heat got stronger, so did the headwinds. That’s the tricky part out here. You have to take advantage as long as you can of the winds before they turn against you. Izzy and Timmy thought it appropriate to sacrifice me to the wind gods to appease them. Something tells me I need to stop being injured sometime soon.

Bridgett and I crossed over through the Plains of Montana and came upon the Rockies! They are incredible! I’ve never seen a mountain range that long before. I’m sure I’ve been near some, but from our viewpoint, we were far enough to see it stretch way up into the north. I got a few goosebumps seeing it. A mixture of the majestic and dangerous.

Beautiful Rockies Range

A fun part of the ride was getting in on the soap opera drama of the hand radio. Bridgett and the crew contact each other through hand radio. A sure thing since cell phones don’t work out here in some regions. The thing is, when you’re on one channel, you’re sharing it with everyone else. I was on the edge of my seat wondering if the Montanee husband and wife were able to rescue their meat out of the freezer that broke. They also discussed everyday matters, like Peggy’s lawnmower and someone traveling down to Mexico. Really cool to get in on the life of a Montanee. The end results were the meat went bad, so the husband had to bring home leftovers for supper. The wife felt really bad Peggys lawnmower was broken and called both freezer and mower big jerkys. Husband and wife agreed it was a bummer the heat got this bad and everything was just fine instead of great for the day. The drama to continue next episode! One must entertain oneself while driving for awhile j/k.

By the time we made it to the University of Montana, the temperature was at 95 degrees. I was sitting idle in the truck and felt the sun beating down on me, so lord knows how the riders were handling it. But they did, and all made it back, tired and ready to rest. Grabbed a few beers and dart games with some of the team, then settled in ready for rest day. Rest days are interesting. You just get up ready to take on so many errands, and insert fun while you’re at it. Some are checking up on their bikes, others are running (Sam) up to the big M near the university, and most of us are doing internet/work/reading to catch up on the life outside of the Big Ride. I feel so far removed from what’s going on out there. It’s a good feeling though. How many chances do you get in life to just get up and go with no deadline, no worries about outside matters, just enjoying the view and understanding your body and its relation to the elements? Not many chances. After this ride though, I’m going to be pushing for more. I appreciate the mentality that comes with this lifestyle.

Wish me luck at the acupuncturists today! I’m hoping for some good news. It may be a few more days are needed to get the inflammation down but at this point I accepted that better earlier in the trip to take care of injuries then run myself down mid way and not make it to the end. It’s all fun either way!